Mind Meld of A Different Kind

PSALM 1
Oh, the joys of those who do not

follow the advice of the wicked,

or stand around with sinners,

or join in with mockers.

But they delight in the law of the Lord,

meditating on it day and night.

They are like trees planted along the riverbank,

bearing fruit each season.

Their leaves never wither,

and they prosper in all they do.

But not the wicked!

They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind.

They will be condemned at the time of judgment.

Sinners will have no place among the godly.

For the Lord watches over the path of the godly,

but the path of the wicked leads to destruction.

Put to shame
Shame on me! That’s what I thought after seeing a Muslim man jog along the street I drive to my office. Not only was he committed to maintaining physical health, something I need to do, but he was committed to the words he believed were from God. Every time I saw him jogging, except once, he had some or all of the Qur’an in his hands. I could tell he was thinking about it, perhaps even memorizing it. That’s commitment - jog and meditate!

I do not believe the Qur’an is words from God. I believe the Bible is. But I cannot remember the last time I went for a walk or a run and spent that time thinking deeply about or memorizing those words I believe come from the heart and mind of God.

I am committed to thinking that reflects the mind of God, loving that reflects the heart of God, and living that reflects the character of God. Sadly, it’s been some time since I’ve done more than devotionally reflect on God’s words (I do that here almost every day – and this is a good discipline) or study them for a Sunday message (and that’s good too). I benefit from both exercises. But…

If I really believe these are words from God and my commitment truly is as I have written above, will I not, like this Muslim jogger, incorporate more routine encounters for deeper reflection? Muslims stop to pray five times daily. Perhaps that’s a great spiritual example! Would it be a bad thing for this Christian man to set aside five times a day to think about the same passage of scripture?

All Wise and Eternal God, forgive me for not incorporating active thinking about your words more fully into my “day and night” routines. With your help I will include your words more fully into my days and nights. - Mike Leamon

Standing alone
I feel old tonight. I have just come off a night of working with the youth as we are in the process of hiring a new Youth Pastor. Many of our youth sponsors were not able to be here tonight so I took on the role of the supervisor outside. (It was raining) Teens like to mess around after youth and it was my job to keep order, keep them out of the street, and make sure no one was hurt.

When I had to step into a situation and stop some activity, I was the one who was looked down on. As an adult, you have to exercise authority from time to time, but it does make you feel old when you want to be popular and liked by the teens. (Something advertisers on our TVs know all too well about us all.)

It is tough to go against the crowd, to stand firm and resist the urge to join in with something that seems fun, harmless, and exciting at the time, but in the long run is destructive. Take for instance the kids in our region who recently helped their buddy ask his girlfriend to the prom by painting the request on their backsides and exposing the message to the girl after school. Seems like fun at the time, but is stupid in the long run.

There is joy in store for those who are willing to resist the temporary thrill of going along with the crowd instead taking delight in the law of the Lord.

Lord, forgive me when I place what other people think about me as a higher priority than what you think about me. Help me to delight in you and your Word at all times. - Dan Jones